Don't Shoot the Messenger
by KousukeAsazuki
Summary: Sent to Soul Society by Urahara, Ishida becomes lost in the winding streets of Seireitei and meets a spunky and attractive shinigami named Reiya. \\Request fic-- aaznpnaigurl; cleavage, blushes, and a very awkward Ishida//
1. Chapter 1

Jeez, talk about lengthy oneshots. WELL, lengthy for me. And I like this font I found-- Andalus. I've been changing fonts more than socks lately. AND I WEAR A LOT OF SOCKS. That was irrelevant. ANYWAY. I don't own the OC in this story, Reiya; she belongs to the person who requested this oneshot and my previous one...and my next two XD. Enjoy~

* * *

"I think it was around here...somewhere." A sigh and a gloved hand lowered from previously sun-shielded eyes. Framed, black eyes peered around the semi-foreign land and the teenager's forehead creased slightly. "I think." Ishida wasn't one to get lost, usually, but every time he had entered Seireitei, he had ended up almost exactly where he needed to be. While that was convenient at the time, it proved less that useless now, when he was very far from his destination. Honestly, why did Urahara have to send _him_?

Okay, so Ichigo had missed so much school and fallen so behind that he absolutely had to stay after class to make up enough work to keep his grade from slipping. Orihime needed the same assistance-- apparently being captured by Aizen and his espada and being held captive in Las Noches wasn't a decent enough (or logical enough) excuse. Sado and Ishida hadn't needed the catch-up classes due to (surprisingly, on Sado's behalf) their high test scores re-entering the classroom. Ichigo had scored poorly on the grammar section and Orihime had failed miserably in the face of equations and pretty much just the word 'math'.

So, Urahara had to choose between either the Quincy or Sado to carry out what was pretty much a messenger mission. Of course, delving into the depths of Soul Society always proved to be extremely unnerving and dangerous, no matter who went. Even Ichigo had admitted his palms sweated against Zangetsu's hilt once or twice. The decision had been nearly instantaneous on Kisuke's part, though the convincing matter took a bit longer. Finally, Orihime had pled Ishida to go, saying that it would help them all very much. Succumbing to the sweet girl's innocent face, Ishida begrudgingly agreed to go through with it.

So, here he was, lost in the middle (or maybe the outskirts) of Seireitei. From the looks of his surroundings, he knew he was inside the high walls that separated the Gotei's society from the lesser soul's Rukongai, but the maze of passages leading to various divisions and locations left him baffled. He tried to recall his former adventures in the shinigami world, but they had mostly been comprised of urgent races down many streets, some of which backtracked to an earlier position in their travels. To put it simply, his mental map of the area was a jumble of nameless streets and monotonous buildings.

Wandering what some might define as aimlessly, Ishida paced himself through the streets of Seireitei. He continued that way for quite some time and the endless run towards Las Noches began to seem like a short jog. What seemed even stranger was the absence of the shinigami-- shouldn't they at least have lookouts or patrols to keep out people just like him? Well, not _just_ like him; he would think, after everything he, Ichigo, and the rest had done for Soul Society, that he'd be allowed inside their walls. Especially when he had a delivery from Urahara Kisuke, who, despite his reputation, was still a respectable man in at least Yamamoto's eyes.

Peering over a wall, Ishida's eyes lit up at the black-clad back of a shinigami casually strolling away from his location. It was female (at least he hoped) with long, black hair falling down her back and a laid-back, gentle air about her. Breathing a sigh of relief, the Quincy called out to her.

Pausing in her travels, the female glanced over her shoulder, staring inquisitively at the strange boy half-hanging over the wall, perched a bit awkwardly as if trying not to fall. After giving him a moment's consideration, she turned around and headed towards him, arms crossed over her abdomen.

"You're not from here," she commented. "A Ryoka."

Ishida sighed-- as if _that_ wasn't obvious-- and hoisted himself the rest of the way over to land a few feet away from the shinigami. Black eyes took a few moments to study the shinigami, starting with her fair-featured face and silky-smooth, raven hair. His eyes then traveled down and immediately fixated on her chest, which rivaled Orihime's in bust and spilled from her kosode in much the same fashion as that one lieutenant he had met before-- Matsumoto, was it? A firm, annoyed clearing of the girl's throat and Ishida's eyes snapped back up to meet her narrowed ones. He adjusted his glasses before brushing off a thin layer of dust and straightening up. "I'm looking for someone."

"So, tell me," the girl said, her clear blue eyes misted over with just the faintest hint of playfulness, "why would I lead a Ryoka anywhere but away from here?"

The male stared, a bit dumbfounded-- could this girl not know of their adventures in Seireitei? "I may very well be from a different world, but that doesn't mean I'm not welcome here."

"Actually," she said, taking a step closer to him and moving one of her hands to her zanpakutou's hilt, "that's exactly what it means."

"W-wait a minute!" Ishida held out his hands in a defensive gesture, backing up. "I'm not here to do anything but deliver a message!"

"A message?" she asked skeptically, her eyes shifting just the slightest to a colder, icier blue. "Not likely."

"It's true," he insisted. "From Urahara Kisuke."

At the mention of the ex-captain, the shinigami paused and surveyed the intruder once more. "That's a name you don't hear too often around here anymore. How do you know him?"

"I'm friends with him," and after a moment of thought, "kind of. I'm...allies with Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Ichigo, Ichigo...where have I heard that name before..." The fingers that were gripping her zanpakutou's deep blue hilt came to rest against her cheek lightly as she looked up to the afternoon sky. "Oh!" she gave Ishida yet _another_ look. "Oh. So you're with _them_."

"Yes," another adjust of the glasses, "but I seem to be a bit lost."

"Well, that much is obvious." She spun on her heel and started to traverse her original path, motioning with a hand for Ishida to follow. "Well, come on, the bulk of the division offices are this way. Who were you looking for again?"

"One of the captains," the boy said, going to follow, "Kurotsu-ah!"

The female turned around just in time to see the intruder trip over a rock, stumble a few times, and crash into her. The pair tumbled to the ground. "H-hey! Watch where you're going!"

Ishida shook his head clear of the daze and looked up to her. His head had landed against her stomach and as he raised it, his nose came face-to-face with the same assets that had distracted him earlier. This time, though, instead of a warning, the Quincy received a firm smack to his already-pink cheek.

"Ow!" He was promptly pushed off and left on the ground, rubbing his sore face as the black-haired girl stood up. "It was an accident!"

"Accident or not," she said, pointing a finger accusingly at him, "I saw those thoughts!"

Ishida blinked once, twice, three times. "You can read minds?"

"I don't need to to tell what's going through yours," she replied hotly, crossing her arms over her stomach again, pronouncing her chest even more, if that were possible.

The male immediately looked away and adjusted his glasses again in a nervous manner. "I-I don't know what you mean."

"What's your name?" she asked suddenly, once again slowly approaching him.

"Ishida Uryuu," he said in a clear voice, though his mind was beginning to muddle with curiosity. Just what did this girl have planned now?

"Ishida-kun, ne?" The female smiled mischievously and stopped in front of him. "Kuredo Reiya," she bent down, the top of her uniform slipping open just a tad as she extended her hand, "nice to meet you."

The Quincy's face burned bright red as he grasped her hand firmly and kept his sights trained anywhere but directly in front of him. "S-same to you, Kuredo-san." She didn't _look_ older than him, but her status alone as one of the dead souls of Seireitei suggested she far surpassed him in years.

Smirking to herself, finding this strange boy immense fun to toy with-- most of the other men around Seireitei just tried to cop a feel or drooled as she walked past--Reiya brought the other's hand and held it against her chest. If it was possible, the usually-cool Ishida turned a deeper shade of red. "So," she spoke again, "who did you say you were here to see again?"

Ishida swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "Kurotsuchi-taichou." He squirmed slightly in place, wishing that his hand could be suddenly dislocated from his body, if only to chase away the lecherous thoughts and suppress intensified desires.

Reiya, instead of backing off, kneeled down closer to the male's body. Her knee planted itself between Ishida's legs, the cloth of her hakama's leg just brushing against the inside of his thigh. Though it was only a mere grazing of fabric, the female could tell her new acquaintance was becoming more frustrated by the minute.

"I-if you don't mind," Ishida gasped out, eyes shut tight in an attempt to block out the shinigami's presence, "perhaps you c-could lead me to...him?"

"Are you sure?" Reiya asked, one of her hands finding his shoulder as she leaned in closer to him. "Wouldn't you rather stay here," her fingernails toyed with the collar of his shirt, "with me?"

"Th-that's inappropriate!" Ishida said a bit too loudly. Frustrated, fighting overwhelming desires, he quickly stood up and away from Reiya's intoxicating touch.

Laughing lightly, a twinkle in her eye, the shinigami stood as well. "You really are strange," she decided, turning away from him once again. "Come, then, I'll show you the way."

Still blushing madly, Ishida smoothed out his clothing several times before following after her at a safe distance. As he was led through the maze of streets deeper into Seireitei, he wondered if some odd, twisted version of the phrase 'don't shoot the messenger' was appropriate here.

* * *

Poor, awkward Ishida. But so much fun. I wish this hot chocolate was giving me energy, but it just seems to be putting me to sleep. My next two submissions will have to be posted on dA, so I'll be back after they're done. Hope you enjoyed~


	2. Chapter 2

Once again, the OC in this fic, Reiya, doesn't belong to me. She's just part of the request from someone on Gaia. Enjoy~

* * *

"So," Reiya's voice finally broke the silence that had settled over them, "what kind of message did Urahara send you with?" She tilted her head to glance over her shoulder. For some reason, this strange boy wouldn't walk next to her.

Ishida hesitated, tensing a little at the piercing gaze. "I... I'm not able to say. Urahara-san asked me to keep it quiet."

A slight pout tugged at Reiya's lips. "It's strange for anyone to want to deal with Kurotsuchi-taichou," she pointed out. "What kind of person is he?"

'Crazy' was the first word that jumped to Ishida's lips, but he refrained from saying such. Even if it was true, he knew that wasn't the question that was being asked. "Urahara-san used to be the captain of the Twelfth Division," he explained. "So, he and Kurotsuchi know each other."

"That's right," Reiya murmured to herself, speaking louder again as she address Ishida. "Then, why you?"

Ishida's eye twitched slightly at the question. "Ichigo was busy elsewhere and I was the best candidate."

An eyebrow shot up in amusement. "Oh?" she asked, sending a smirk over her shoulder. "Renowned for your keen sense of direction?" A light burst of laughter erupted from her throat at the annoyed look on the boy's face. "Joking, of course."

The quincy mumbled something under his breath before stepping up his pace to walk next to the shinigami. "It's odd that you're the only one I would run into here," he commented, taking another, good look at the empty streets.

"It's not that odd," she argued. "You were nearly to Rukongai. I thought you'd been here before?"

"I have," he answered quickly. "My previous experiences were just...rushed."

"Meaning you were running away a lot?"

A blush claimed Ishida's cheeks once more. "I wasn't _running_ away..."

Reiya took a moment to survey him from the corner of her eye. "...You were running away."

"I-I was not!" Another laugh caused him to heave a rather heavy sigh and slump his shoulders in defeat. Alright, so maybe he was running a _little_ bit...

"Don't worry," she assured, waving a hand, "we'll come across more shinigami soon. There's always a bunch of slackers walking around like they don't have anything to do."

Ishida extended a finger in her direction. "Isn't that what you were doing?"

"Not at all," the female quickly disagreed, racking her mind for an excuse. Hell, he was a Ryoka, he wouldn't know if she was lying or not. "I was on patrol."

"Only you?"

"Yes."

"Really."

"Are you saying I don't know how to handle myself?"

"Well..."

A hand clamped easily onto the hilt of her zanpakuto as Reiya spun to face Ishida. "Care to test that theory?"

Black eyes widened slightly as Ishida took a step back and raised his hands in a defensive gesture. "I didn't mean it like that! I just meant that isn't there safety in numbers?"

It was probably a lame cover-up, but Reiya let it slide, relaxing again and rolling her eyes. "Just because I'm not a seated officer doesn't mean I can't hold my own."

As she turned to continue on their trek, Ishida let out another breath and followed after her more cautiously. Man, women were _crazy_. He started to follow again before a high-pitched scream, like one of a child, caught his attention. "What was that?"

Reiya head snapped in the direction of the cry, her forehead creasing. "This reiatsu...it's a hollow."

"A hollow?" Ishida repeated, a bit dumbfounded. "_Here_? H-hey, wait up!" He chased after the female's vanishing form, quickly using his hirenkyaku to follow her shunpo.

Stopping short of the scene, Reiya was surprised to see Ishida right on her trail. "How did you...?" Shaking her head lightly, she narrowed her eyes toward the cause of the disruption. "A huge hollow," she murmured lowly, unsheathing her zanpakuto without a second thought.

"Wait!" Ishida shouted as she charged forward, his fingertips not even able to brush against his Quincy cross before she was ahead of him.

"Stay back," she yelled, though never turned back to make sure he had followed those simplest of directions. "Sore ni tobe, Mussu no Hoshi-tachi!"

Ishida stopped short as Reiya raised her zanpakuto straight into the sky. He watched, in slight awe, as the blade began humming with life, burning a bright white-blue from the center outward until it was encompassed by the ethereal energy. The light shot up into the clouds, bursting into an explosion of tiny, condensed energy particles in the shape of stars. He saw the intent and, without thinking, immediately rushed toward the hollow and its prey, a young boy that must have traveled a bit too far off the Rukongai path. He scooped the boy up into his arms, using his hirenkyaku to dodge out of the way of the deadly stars as they darted toward the ground, pinning the large creature down. Ishida glanced over his shoulder to watch the ending spectacle, the stars burning hotter and brighter until they exploded with a _boom_, reminiscent of a super nova, all but evaporating the enemy.

Satisfied, the confident smirk on her lips evidence enough, Reiya slipped her zanpakuto back into his sheath. Turning to face Ishida and the near-victim, though, her lips fell into a frown. "I wonder what a hollow like that was doing here, and with a child from Rukongai nonetheless."

Turning his attention to the frightened boy, Ishida kneeled down in front of him and placed a hand lightly on his shoulder. He attempted a friendly smile, which (likely) came out more pained than anything. "Are you alright?"

The child sniffled and looked from Ishida to Reiya before nodding lightly. "I-I saw it coming and I r-ran. I d-didn't know where I was g-going."

"Shouldn't there have been a gate guardian?" the Quincy asked, tilting his head to look back at Reiya.

"There should have been," she agreed, raising her head to glance in the direction of the aforementioned gate. There was no way to tell, from this distance, what had happened, but it was something that needed to be investigated. "Come on, let's go check it out."

"W-wait a minute," Ishida said, this time standing his ground. "Shouldn't you notify your superiors first? Isn't that proper protocol?"

Reiya paused and shot a grin over her shoulder. "I'm from the Eleventh Division," she stated. "We don't worry much about that kind of thing."

_"Eleventh Division?" _Ishida thought, bewildered. _"She serves under Zaraki?"_ Not for the first time, Ishida wondered just what this girl's deal was. However, he _did_ have to stop her from going. "A-as well as that may be," he spoke up, "I still have a message to deliver. I don't want to be stuck in Soul Society all day."

This time, the female turned around and gave a short sigh. "Fine," she conceded. "Have to ruin all the run."

Relieved, Ishida looked down to the child that was still next to him. "You should get home. Things will be alright now." Though, he wasn't sure he could be promising such a thing, it was likely just a freak accident that wouldn't repeat itself. At least, he hoped.

"Well, let's go," Reiya ordered as the boy scampered off in the direction of the nearest gate. "We still have a ways to go before we reach the Twelfth."

* * *

"Ohhh? What's this?" Mayuri peered at the pair in front of him. "The Quincy is back? Have you come to let me cut you open?"

Ishida's eye twitched for the second time that day. "I've come to deliver a message," he announced, "from Urahara Kisuke."

"Oh?" The captain's intrigued look dulled slightly. "What does he want _now_?"

"He sent me to retrieve the details of... an experiment." His gaze slid to Reiya, who was watching the conversation with the utmost curiosity. He wished she hadn't come, almost, as he didn't want her listening in on what was likely secret information that shouldn't have been talked about in the first place.

"You'll have to be more specific, boy," Mayuri said in a harsh tone, annoyed at the vague request. "I'm a scientist. We tend to do a _lot _of experiments."

"This one is special," Ishida insisted, narrowing his eyes slightly. "It's _that_ one."

Finally, his meaning got through as Mayuri's face drooped slightly. "What makes him think I have those old records? I threw everything he left behind out!"

"He said he was sure you would still have them." Though, the boy himself wasn't so positive. Besides, what did it matter to Mayuri what happened to the recordings of the initial ideas and concepts of hollowification? Well, he was a scientist, after all-- maybe Urahara was right.

"Old geezer," the captain mumbled. "Girl!"

"Yes, sir." The automatic response, as well as the sudden appearance of a presence Ishida hadn't even noticed, jolted him slightly. Sure enough, though, Mayuri's lieutenant and engineered daughter, Nemu, was at her captain's side in an instant.

"Go find those folders, so this Quincy can get out of my hair."

"Yes, sir."

Ishida frowned slightly, remembering his last encounter with this pair, but kept quiet. He had no interest in making the business of shinigami his concern. It seemed Reiya was immune to the interaction, as well, as she occupied herself with tracing the star-shaped guard of her zanpakuto lightly with her fingers.

"Here," Mayuri said, shoving a stack of papers into Ishida's hands after flipping through them for a moment. "Now, get out."

"Uh, right. Thanks." Feeling the captain's burning gaze on him the entire time, Ishida turned and left as quickly and gracefully as he could with Reiya in tow.

* * *

Next/probably final chapter will be up tomorrow sometime. Lame meeting with Mayuri is lame, I know. Realistically, Mayuri probably would have drug it out or added strings to the deal, buuuut... I'm sleepy. So, I hope you enjoyed.


	3. Chapter 3

"So..."

"...so?"

"What was that all about?"

Ishida raised an eyebrow. "What was what all about?"

"That," Reiya gestured vaguely toward the captain's office they had just departed from. "All that secrecy."

The Quincy adjusted his glasses lightly and turned his gaze in front of him again. "There was no secrecy." It was a blatant lie, but he couldn't necessarily go into the details.

"Well, what's in those papers?" Reiya pride, craning her neck to get a better look at them. She retreated with a huff when they were promptly turned from her vision.

"I don't know," he stated plainly, avoiding eye contact. "It's not our business, though."

"Shouldn't we at least get that much?" she wondered. "After all, we got them."

Ishida's brow furrowed slightly. "I came here alone, you realize..."

"And without my help, you would still be wondering around like a lost puppy." She snickered lightly at the thought of the boy with a pair of floppy dog ears. "Besides," she added, "you said 'our'."

Ishida groaned lightly. "That doesn't matter. We still can't look."

"But you know what it's about," she insisted, determination always one of her stronger points, "so just tell me."

"I can't."

"You can."

"I won't."

"Why not?"

"It's private." For as little patience as he had with some people, Ishida gave himself a mental pat on the back for deflecting Reiya's questions so calmly. He did wish she would let up, though-- no shinigami that wasn't already privy to the information needed to know about Urahara's past involvement with the Vizard or the experiments they were trapped into by Aizen.

The female finally gave a defeated sigh. "You're stubborn," she remarked. Usually, she had no problem getting males to divulge...well, anything to her. Changing the subject instantly, she grabbed the Quincy's free hand and smiled widely. "Come with me."

A bit startled, Ishida blinked at his new acquaintance. "Come...with you?"

She nodded and tugged on the limb. "Yes."

"Where to?" He really _should_ be getting back...

"There's something I want to show you," she insisted. "It won't take long."

Giving in, Ishida nodded his consent and tucked the folders under his arm as he allowed the shinigami to lead him to God-knows-where.

* * *

"This..." Ishida looked around, just a bit confused. Confused wasn't something he was used to, but this girl certainly had stumped him. "This," he repeated, "is a hill."

Reiya rolled her eyes and jabbed him in the side with her elbow. "Don't mock me."

"Not at all," he assured. "Why did you want to show me this, though?"

"Look up," she suggested.

Blinking once more behind his glasses, Ishida tilted his head to stare up at the sky. He started slightly-- when had it gotten so late? The bright blue sky of the afternoon was waning slowly, melting into a mix of pinks and purples as the sun made its decent below the horizon. The stars, never shy, were already dimly shining through the dusk. As the night slowly crept up to capture the world once again, they burned brightly. Ishida was, ironically, reminded of Reiya's shikai, though far less deadly.

"It's..."

"It's beautiful," she quickly corrected. Sinking to the ground, she tugged him down next to her. Ignoring the startled reaction, she leaned against the boy and settled down comfortably.

Adjusting his glasses slightly, looking back to the stars, Ishida gave a light chuckle. "Yes," he agreed, "quite so."

* * *

"Ahh, welcome back, Ishida-san." Urahara grinned widely as he extended an arm to take the folders Ishida presented him with. "Thank you for your troubles."

Thinking quickly back over his small adventure in Soul Society, Ishida shook his head. "It was no trouble."

"Oh?" the ex-captain leaned forward curiously. "Did you meet someone interesting there?"

The small blush he failed to conceal spoke enough, but stubborn as ever, he gave another quick shake. "It was fine."

Grinning that ever-knowing grin, Urahara withdrew and sifted through the papers. "Perhaps next time I have another errand to run in Soul Society, I'll send you again."

Ishida opened his mouth to object-- he didn't need to be an errand boy. However, he hesitated once his thoughts began flowing. When would he ever be in the shinigami's realm, other than when he followed Ichigo (and that never left him any time to socialize), if it wasn't for Urahara? "I... do what you want."

The shop keeper gave a short laugh and waved his hand. "I'll be sure to contact you soon, then, Ishida-san."

Grumbling something about set-ups and crazy old men, the Quincy turned to leave the shop. As he made his way down familiar streets, though, a light smile tugged at his lips. Being lost, he decided, wasn't always such a bad thing when you had someone to find you.

* * *

Gaaaaaaaah. Mush overload. It seemed fitting of the story/scene, though. Ishida's such a girl. This chapter is...very short? Well, a bit shorter than the rest (which were short enough on their own). There wasn't much more to put in it, though, as it was just Ishida and Reiya hanging out? That was its purpose, anyway, I think. I hope you enjoyed! /rant


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